Bird Flu

Highly toxic’ bird flu strain hits Vietnam

the Raw Story,

7 September, 2012

A new highly-toxic strain of the potentially deadly bird flu virus has appeared in Vietnam and is spreading fast, according to state media reports.

The strain appeared to be a mutation of the H5N1 virus which swept through the country’s poultry flocks last year, forcing mass culls of birds in affected areas, according to agriculture officials.

The new virus “is quickly spreading and this is the big concern of the government”, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Diep Kinh Tan said, according to a Thursday report in the VietnamNet online newspaper.

Experts cited in the report said the new virus appeared in July and had spread through Vietnam’s northern and central regions in August.

Outbreaks have been detected in six provinces so far and some 180,000 birds have been culled, the Animal Health department said.

The Central Veterinary Diagnosis Centre said the virus appeared similar to the standard strains of bird flu but was more toxic.

The centre will test how much protection existing vaccines for humans offer, the report said.

Some experts suggested that the new strain resulted from widespread smuggling of poultry from China into the northern parts of Vietnam.

Two people have died this year from the virulent disease — but long before the new strain was identified.

According to the World Health Organisation, Vietnam has recorded one of the highest numbers of fatalities from bird flu in southeast Asia, with at least 59 deaths since 2003.

The avian influenza virus has killed more than 330 people around the world, and scientists fear it could mutate into a form readily transmissible between humans, with the potential to cause millions of deaths.

Mexico Is Apparently Running Low On Eggs

The Inquistr,

7 September, 2012

In Mexico, the public is currently being faced with an extreme shortage of eggs, and the country has the highest-per-capita egg consumption on the planet. Troubling? Yes. But everyone seems to have a pretty decent sense of humor about it. Even Mexico.

An avian flu outbreak in June killed millions of chickens in Mexico, and subsequently, the price of feed soared. The Washington Post calls this the “Great Mexican Egg Crisis,” eggsplaining (see what I did there?) that while the shortage of eggs in Mexico is a serious problem, it’s okay to crack-wise about it (because that’s how the Mexican Press is handling it).

Seriously though, here are some facts: Mexicans consume an average of 350 to 400 eggs per person every year. This makes it one of the highest per-capita egg-eating nations in the world, according to Time. “The egg is essential,” said an anonymous egg broker in Los Mochis. “For 8 pesos, a person can eat two eggs, a sausage and three tortillas. It’s a very good breakfast, for the price of two cigarettes.”

However, the past month has seen an increase in the cost of eggs (from about $1.50 to $3 for a carton of 16 to 18 eggs. In some area, that number has even tripled. Adding fuel to the fire, nearly half of Mexico’s population lives below the poverty line, and eggs are a cheap source of protein. The government is doing what it can, from selling government-subsidized eggs to importing more from the US, to get the egg market back to stability.

“We will not allow Mexican families, especially those who have less, to see their pocketbooks affected by unjustified increases in the price of this basic commodity,” said Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon.

That’s eggsellent news, President Calderon!